Nutella Cupcakes

Nutella is such an awesome food group.  Yes, I'm calling it a food group, because it deserves at least that.  These cupcakes are great, and easy because the Nutella is the frosting!  This recipe used up the last of the Nutella I had in my house, and despite shedding a little tear while using the last drop, these were totally worth it.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  In a medium bowl beat the butter, oil, and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy and light.  Add the eggs, vanilla and beat until smooth.  PS I used apple sauce instead of the oil.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.  Add to the butter mixture and beat until just combined.  The batter will be really thick.

I had some peanut butter chips, and thought they couldn't hurt so I folded those in.

Place batter into cupcake lines sprayed with non-stick spray.

Scoop around a teaspoon of Nutella on top of each cupcake.

Swirl with a toothpick until it looks like marble.  Bake for 25 minutes until springy to the touch.  Remove from the pan to cool then enjoy!

One of my biggest issues with regular cupcakes is that you have to wait around an hour to really enjoy them because they have to cool enough to frost.  These cupcakes eliminate that problem all together.  They're a tasty Nutella treat!  

Happy long weekend and Labor Day!

Nutella Cupcakes

Serving size 12 cupcakes

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup vegetable oil (or apple sauce)

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup Nutella, at room temperature

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  

In a medium bowl beat the butter, oil, and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy and light.  

Add the eggs, vanilla and beat until smooth.  

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.  

Add to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. 

Fold in peanut butter chips. *optional

Place batter into cupcake lines sprayed with non-stick spray.

Scoop around a teaspoon of nutella on top of each cupcake.

Swirl with a toothpick until it looks like marble.  

Bake for 25 minutes until springy to the touch. 

Cool and eat up.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I have made coffee cake a few times now and continue to really like it.  It's so versatile; you can have it for breakfast, you can have it for dessert, you can have it for both!  I tried all of the mentioned, and it was tasty every time! 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.  Cream the butter with an electric mixer.  Then mix in the sour cream.

Add the sugar and continue beating until combined.

Add in the egg, then add vanilla extract. 

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Then add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined.

Pour batter into prepared dish.

Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and walnuts together.  Stir then layer on top of the cake batter.  Bake for around 30 minutes in the oven.  Cool and serve!

This cake was amazing.  Adding sour cream really keeps the cake moist, and I love the brown sugar and walnut topping.  Sure to please for breakfast, dessert or both :)

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Serving size 1-9x13 inch pan

Cake:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/2 cup low-fat sour cream

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup crushed walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  

Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.  

Cream the butter with an electric mixer.  

Then mix in the sour cream.

Add the sugar and continue beating until combined.

Add in the egg, then add vanilla extract. 

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  

Then add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined.

Pour batter into prepared dish.

Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and walnuts together.  

Stir then layer on top of the cake batter.  

Bake for around 30 minutes in the oven.  

Cool then serve.

Wordless Wednesday

Recipe for Vacation Part IV

Win a wiener at a baseball game.

Laugh your butt off doing weird things like milking a fake cow.

Successfully take a group picture with everyone looking at the camera. Which leads to a random group dancing session on the lawn.

Tell "spooky stories" by the campfire.  

Have a campfire that is still blazing the next morning. (No joke, thank you boyscout John.) Only in 'Merica.

It was such a great vacation, glad I was able to share the pictures with you.  Counting down the days until next year already :)

MOOmers - Traverse City, MI

We recently found out that one of the best ice cream spots happens to be very close to where we stay in Traverse City.  We decided to try MOOmers one night on vacation, and in a way I wish I hadn't.  Ice cream will never be the same, nor will waffle cones.  Nothing else will measure up, my taste buds have been spoiled and now ruined.  I highly recommend it though, it's so worth it!!!  Plus, they have these cute little kid creations, which Ms V loved!

I ordered a regular waffle cone with two flavors, and to be honest I don't remember what I chose.  I think one was vanilla chocolate chip, but the other has slipped my mind.  We've been back a few times and the flavors change a lot!  To sum up though: no matter what flavor you get, you'll like it.

When was the last time you had a banana split?  

This one deserved two pictures.  Looks so amazing!

I can't get enough of MOOmers and am glad it's so close!  If you're ever in the Traverse City area you'll notice a lot of restaurants and shops that serve MOOmer's ice cream; but please make the trek out to the original store, that's where all their flavors will be displayed.  Plus the scenery is pretty interesting too.

Happy Monday!

Blackberry-Oat Bran Muffins

July and August are the best time of year to buy blackberries, and although I haven't cooked with them a whole lot I thought this recipe would be perfect to make while on vacation.  They are easy and can sit on the counter so anyone can pick one up whenever they're hungry.  Oh, and did I mention they're delicious?!

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line muffin cups with paper liners (we were on vacation and no one wanted to run to the store again, so we made do without!)  Whisk together flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a separate bowl using a mixer, beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar on high until light and fluffy. 

Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

With the mixer on low, add flour mixture in two additions, alternating with buttermilk.  

Fold in blackberries.  Divide the batter amount muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining sugar.  Bake for around 20 minutes until toothpick entered comes out with moist crumbs attached.  Let cool on a wire rack for around 5 minutes then take out of pan and let cool completely. 

These were moist and full of flavor!  186 calories of delicious-ness that you won't soon forget.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Blackberry-Oat Bran Muffins

Adapted from Everyday Food

Serves 12

1 1/2 up flour

2/3 cup oat bran (I used rolled oats)
2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups chopped blackberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  
Line muffin cups with paper liners.
Whisk together flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
In a separate bowl using a mixer, beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar on high until light and fluffy. 
Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined.
With the mixer on low, add flour mixture in two additions, alternating with buttermilk.  
Fold in blackberries.  Divide the batter amount muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining sugar.  
Bake for around 20 minutes until toothpick entered comes out with moist crumbs attached.  
Let cool on a wire rack for around 5 minutes then take out of pan and let cool completely. 

Recipe for Vacation Part III

Double duty: Find a great hat and giggle with old friends while doing so.

Play games and yell at the other team who obviously cheated. 

Get kicked out of playing games because you've had too much to drink and are doing more harm than good.

Share a banana split with your Mom.

Wine taste, wine taste, wine taste.

Crunch Wrap Supreme

For those of you who don't know C, he loves Taco Bell.  Loves might not be strong enough of a word to be blunt.  Whenever we talk about where we want to go grab dinner Taco Bell is always thrown in the mix.  I have a different view of Taco Bell... like it was good around 2am coming home from the bar 4 years ago, not as much on a Tuesday night at 7pm.  Either way, I saw this homemade recipe for a Taco Bell favorite and thought I'd make it as a surprise.  It turned out really good!

Brown beef in a skillet over medium high heat.

Add taco seasoning according to package directions, and set aside.

Bake the corn tortillas one at a time for around 10 seconds to warm them up, this will make the wrapping easier.  Lay out the flour tortilla and spoon some of the beef into the center.  Top with the cheese, either nacho or shredded, I used nacho.

Place the crunchy corn tortilla on top of the beef and cheese.  Spread a dollop of sour cream on top then toss in lettuce and tomatoes.

Starting with the bottom of the tortilla, fold the edge up to the center.  Continue doing this in a movement all around the tortilla until the filling is entirely enclosed.  Spray a frying pan with cooking spray and heat to medium.  Carefully place the wrap seam side down in the pan.  Press with a spatula and cook for around 3 minutes until brown, then flip over and cook for another 3 minutes.

I served with a topping of homemade guacamole, because that's makes everything taste so much better in my opinion!  These were really delicious.  I think C thought they were pretty close to what Taco Bell has, and I didn't mind them either because I could actually see the ingredients being used ;)  This is a quick dinner that everyone will enjoy.  

Crunch Wrap Supreme

Adapted from Full Bellies Make Happy Kids

Serving Size 4+

6 large four tortillas

6 small corn tortillas

1 pound ground beef

1 package taco seasoning

sour cream

nacho cheese (or shredded cheese)

shredded lettuce

diced tomatoes

Brown beef in a skillet over medium high heat.

Add taco seasoning according to package directions, and set aside.

Bake the corn tortillas one at a time for around 10 seconds to warm them up.

Lay out the flour tortilla and spoon some of the beef into the center.  

Top with the cheese, either nacho or shredded.

Place the crunchy corn tortilla on top of the beef and cheese.  

Spread a dollop of sour cream on top then toss in lettuce and tomatoes.

Starting with the bottom of the tortilla, fold the edge up to the center.

Continue doing this in a movement all around the tortilla until the filling is entirely enclosed.  

Spray a frying pan with cooking spray and heat to medium.  

Carefully place the wrap seam side down in the pan.  

Press with a spatula and cook for around 3 minutes until brown, then flip over and cook for another 3 minutes.

Serve and enjoy! 

7 Monks Taproom - Traverse City, MI

For the first time in the history of our "friends vacation" the kids took a day trip without the parents.  We're all over 21 now (I'm talking to you Ber) so we decided to do lunch and some wine tasting.  7 Monks Taproom for lunch and beer was perfect!  I like lighter beers so I had one of the ciders that they had on special.  Their beer menu is extensive, with 46 beers on tap, and I'm positive you'd find something you like.

We started by sharing the meat and cheese board.  It was awesome, and had all kinds of goodies.  Brie, Gorgonzola, jelly, mustard, olives, prosciutto, rabbit sausage.  Delish! 

Crostinis, crackers, seasonal fruit, a pretty complete sample if you ask me!

C and I shared the chicken pizza, with pineapple and Gorgonzola cheese.  It was amazing.  They make their menu everyday pending what fresh ingredients they have to use.  I could really tell the difference in the food, it was so great! 

Had to take a picture of the mac and cheese, which someone else ordered.  I even got to taste it, the cheesiest!

Two beers each and lunch and we walked out pretty happy campers!